Chapter Text
Harry was glowing at the site of all of us. If he ever questioned whether he was surrounded by love and friendship, it wasn't an issue now. He was going around the room, greeting everyone as he went.
"Where's Neville?" he asked me curiously.
"He's not quite seventeen, and Gran is a bit...emotional at the moment," I explained awkwardly. "But he'll be there when we arrive. Besides, we had enough volunteers as it was."
He nodded in understanding and Tonks thrust her hand in his face, "Harry, guess what?"
"You got married?" He exclaimed, looking at Lupin who was beaming with happiness.
"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."
Sirius clapped his shoulder with a barking laugh, "Always knew he'd settle down sooner or later. And with my own cousin..."
Mad-Eye roared, "All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!"
He exclaimed the plan, letting Harry fully understand how tonight was going to go. And once he realized why there was so many of us...
"No!" He exclaimed. "No way!"
Hermione sighed, "I told them you'd take it like this."
"If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives-
"-because it's the first time for all of us," Ron snorted.
I laughed, "And you're not letting us do anything."
"None of us really fancy it, Harry," said Fred. "Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever." He pouted in my direction, "I don't think I'd ever get it up for Edith again."
Though I thought it was funny, Harry just said, "You can't do it if I don't cooperate, you need me to give you some hair."
"Well that's the plan scuppered," George complained. "Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of you unless you cooperate."
Fred added, "Yeah, thirteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic; we've got no chance."
"Funny," Harry deadpanned, "really funny."
But in the end he did cooperate, because there wasn't any other choice.
"Fake Potters line up over here, please," Moody commanded.
Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Tonks, and I lined up automatically. There had been a little bit of discussion of whether to use Tonks or Sirius, but Sirius had argued that he was done hiding in the shadows and wouldn't hide behind his godson's image when he could be useful.
We all drank from our small cups and I cringed as the effects immediately started taking over. I'd never been so tall before and it was quite weird to look over at Fred to see us at the same height. And within seconds we were all the splitting image of Harry.
Fred and George glanced at each other, exclaiming, "Wow- we're identical!"
"Can I be the better looking one of us?" I joked, already feeling strange at being a boy.
"Normally I would love to go on about how gorgeous you are," Fred began, "but I find myself not attracted to you whatsoever, Aggie dear."
I sighed in relief, "Thank Merlin."
We all changed into the clothes, donning glasses on our faces.
Moody nodded at us, "Good. Now, the pairs will be as follows: Tonks will be traveling with me, by broom..."
The Harry standing near Remus perked up, pleased to be going with her mentor. Fred was paired with Arthur and George with Remus. I was paired with Bill, which suited me just fine.
"I'm not sure who is really the protector in this scenario," he told me with a laugh.
The scar on his face was still shocking when you glanced at him, but I kept reminding myself that it could have been worse.
I elbowed his side, "We'll make a great team up there."
Hermione and Kingsley would be going by thestral, and Ron would be paired with Sirius.
Harry looked surprised by this, "I thought I'd be going with you?"
"Too obvious," Sirius told him fondly. "But we have a better solution..."
Hagrid stepped forward, looking a little teary eyed, "You'll be with me, Harry. We'll be on the bike- you in the sidecar." He took a deep breath, "I brought you here all those years ago. Seems fitting I take you away, too."
It was a sweet moment even as Harry looked a bit uncomfortable in the side car.
I got behind Bill on the broom, holding onto his waist even as Fred made a comment about me changing brothers on him again. I flipped him off, causing Bill to laugh.
And then we were off.
...
"Bill!" I screamed. "Turn around, she's falling!"
Everything was happening so fast. One minute we were all in the circle, and the next it was chaos with the death eaters. Moody and Tonks were both heading North with us, then all hell broke loose. Voldemort arrived- flying and sent a curse towards them. Moody was hit straight on while Tonks was defending them from the back where another death eater was on them. I watched as Tonks tried to hold him on, but his dead weight was tipping them in a different direction.
Bill shouted back, "We can't, there's too many of them!" He was throwing curse after curse while I cast protective shields.
With horror, I watched as Moody finally fell off the broom and Tonks' scream filled the air.
...
Bill and I were silent as we finally landed on the grounds of the Burrow. A small bit of them had gathered outside and Molly let out a cry when she saw us.
"Bill, Edith! Thank God, thank God-" We were both hugged tightly and I felt a rush of warmth fill me. I'd been so numb when we finally lost the death eaters on our tails.
I heard Bill tell them, "Mad-Eye's dead."
"No!" Remus gasped out. "Where's my wife? Did you see her?"
"We lost track of her in the chaos," I whispered, my eyes burning with tears again. "She was still on the broom when we broke away, but I don't know..."
The sob in his chest was heavy as he sank to his knees and Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to talk to him quietly.
I looked at Ron, who was quiet, "Is Fred alright?"
"Yeah, but George..."
I didn't wait to hear the words, I took off towards the door, throwing it open.
George was lying down on the couch, the side of his head bandaged up, but I could still see the dried blood along his neck. Fred was kneeling beside him on the floor, but both of them whipped their heads at the sound of my entrance.
Fred stood to his feet, "You're okay."
His arms embraced me tightly and I allowed myself to feel the bit of comfort before I asked, "What happened, George?"
"Well I told them, 'take a little off the side', but they took it a bit too literally," he tried to joke, but I could tell he was feeling like shit.
I blinked at Fred, "His ear is gone?"
"Cursed off by Snape," he said grimly.
Fucking Snape.
"What happened?" Fred asked me. "Why were you late?"
I wiped at the tears on my face, "We had to take a detour- there were so many on us and we knew we'd miss our portkey. Voldemort was right there, Fred- flying right near us."
His face went pale as he rubbed his hands over my shoulder, "Did he attack you?"
"No- he attacked Moody and Tonks," I choked out. "Moody fell off. He's dead. Tonks hasn't made it back yet."
Almost as soon as I got the words out, there was shouting outside. Fred and I immediately walked out to see a figure landing near the others. It took a moment between the yelling and sobs to realize it was Tonks- who now looked like herself as Remus embraced her fiercely. And on the ground, was Moody's body.
She'd recovered it herself.
...
Something was off, I realized.
We were celebrating Neville's birthday here at the flat, and I knew that they were being...secretive. Looks were being exchanged, nervous ramblings, and not to mention my brother wouldn't look at me in the eyes when I mentioned Hogwarts.
I flicked my wand to the radio to turn it off, "What is going on? Don't lie to me, because it's obvious that something has been decided."
Neville and Hermione exchanged a look. Sirius gave Harry a hard stare and I watched as he looked a bit pale. The twins were just as confused so I knew they had no idea what was going on.
It was Ron that admitted, "We've got to go away for a while, Edith. Harry has a mission from Dumbledore."
"A mission?" I asked, looking at Harry, "And I'm assuming this is something the Order can't know about."
Fred glared at Ron, "And apparently not your family either."
"Does mum and dad know?" George asked.
He nodded, "They know we're going to do something, but not the specifics."
"I told them not to come with me," Harry said, his voice quiet. "I couldn't get them to change their minds."
Neville told me, "He can't do it alone. He needs us."
I sighed, glancing at Sirius, "And you're going to let them go?"
"Actually I'm going with them," Sirius admitted. "They won't tell me the details until after we leave, but once I figured out their plans...Well, I'm the only one here who's actually been on the run, haven't I?" He tried to joke, but I could see he wasn't thrilled about the plan either.
Hermione said, "Sirius is going to leave his other half of the mirror with Remus- in case we need to exchange messages. He gave it him yesterday."
Ah, the mirror. I briefly remembered hearing about that after the battle at the Ministries. It was a gift Sirius had given to Harry so that they could communicate back and forth, and Harry had forgotten about it in his panic at the thought of Sirius being captured.
It was a good plan. I felt safer knowing that an experienced member of the Order would be with them, but still...
"Its dangerous," I whispered.
Fred's arm slipped around me, pulling me into his side. It anchored me to know he was there. Most days I counted on him to keep me together.
Neville reached out to grab my hand, "We know."
I squeezed it, giving him a smile through tears that were filling my eyes, "What about school?"
"This is more important," Hermione said, shocking all of us.
George laughed, "Blimey, is Granger actually saying school is less important than something?"
"My heart will never recover," Fred added, eyes wide. "Are you sure you haven't been Imperio'd?"
Her eyes rolled, "I do think this has to be a bit more urgent than NEWTs."
Neville grinned at her, "This coming from the girl who once said 'or worse, expelled'?" When she blushed, he leaned and kissed her forehead, "Adorable, really."
Her blushed worsened.
...
"Bloody hell, am I a lucky bloke, or what?" Fred joked, whistling low when I turned to face him.
He was supposed to be escorting the guests to their seats with George and Harry, who was poly juiced to look like a Weasley cousin. Somewhere around here, Sirius was also Poly Juiced, who would not be left out of the festivities. He looked nice in his suit, though he could've went with a much tamer color. Fleur had made me one of the Bridesmaids so I was wearing a golden dress along with Gabrielle and Ginny.
I thought it made me look like a golden ornament with my blonde hair, but perhaps I was wrong with the way Fred was looking at me. My arm was in a disillusioned sling, made to look like it was resting across my stomach in a natural pose. It was something Fleur had requested, hoping to make me feel more comfortable.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, resting my back on the vanity behind me. "You're supposed to be directing the guests."
He shrugged, "They can manage without me. I want to be directing you instead." His hands slid over my waist, pulling my hips into his.
Fred was already hard. He leaned down to kiss me, slow and gentle until I responded in kind Then his kiss grew harder and I felt his tongue slide over my lips, tracing them as if committing to memory. I opened my mouth, moaning when his fingers dug into my skin. His teeth scraped over my bottom lip, soothing it with a lick.
"Fred..." I breathed against him. "The wedding...we'll be late."
One of his hands reached up to tangle into my hair, "Fuck the wedding," he snarled. "I need you. Only you." Fred pulled back from the kiss, his eyes searching mine for any rejection.
I whimpered, "Okay. But we have to be quick."
Without waiting for his objection, I turned in his arm, bracing myself on one hand as I looked at him in the mirror and wiggled my hips impatiently. He groaned, reaching down to palm himself over his trousers.
"You're absolutely perfect."
His hands then went to the bottom of my dress, pulling it up my legs and over my hips. He held the material there with one hand, while his other hand went to his trousers, pulling himself out. Then I felt his fingers dance along my inner thigh, hooking around my knickers to drag them down. When his fingers pressed against me, I hissed in surprise.
In the mirror, I saw him smirk as he placed his lips by my ear, "Soaked already, Aggie dear." He entered a finger, pumping it a few times before entering another. I pressed my hips back into him, biting my lip to keep from being loud. He pumped his fingers a few more times before growling, "Close enough."
His fingers were gone and then he was pressing himself at my entrance, thrusting forward in one move. My back arched up and he quickly placed a hand there, laying me forward over the vanity until my face was pressed up against the mirror. I could see my breath fog across it, distorting his face while he thrust into me again.
"Fred..." I moaned, "Harder."
He swore, gripping my hip hard with his free hand, and he pounded into me over and over again. My hands curled into the wood and I was so close to screaming that I just knew the guests would hear me. But I didn't ask him to stop.
Ever since operation 'Get Harry to the Burrow', he'd been in a frenzied state. Joining me in the shower, feasting on me at breakfast. Even in his dad's shed while they were doing last minute decoration yesterday. George had caught us multiple times and threatened to move out if he couldn't walk out of his room without keeping a hand over his eyes.
My stomach tightened and I felt my thighs shaking as I felt that familiar cold flush come over me.
"Fuck, Edith..." Fred's face turned to my neck and I felt his teeth scrape over my skin, causing my orgasm to hit full force. His hips stuttered a few times before he held me still, emptying himself inside of me.
We were quite for a few moments, letting our breaths calm down. And then he pulled away from me, reaching for a handkerchief to clean med up, and then he pulled my panties back over my hips.
His eyes met mine in the mirror and we both laughed.
But when we left the room, George was leaning against the wall, not laughing.
He quirked a brow, "Just a few hours. You couldn't wait for a few hours?"
"Has it started yet?" Fred asked. When his brother shook his head, he grinned, "Then it doesn't matter, because we're not late."
George rolled his eyes, "Just be glad I was here to silence the sounds." He stood up, twirling his wand, "I hope you cast a contraceptive spell."
I sniffed in annoyance, "I'll take the potion later."
It wouldn't be the first time that happened.
Fred clasped his shoulder, "You worry too much. Let's go get our brother wed!"
...
The wedding was beautiful. Fleur was the most beautiful bride I'd ever scene and Bill couldn't stop smiling at her. I was embarrassed when I realized a tear had slipped down my cheek and I could see Fred rolling his eyes at me from where he was seated.
And then the real party began.
Drinks were passed around and the food was delicious, once I was able to eat some of it. Fred twirled me around the dance floor more than once until I was dizzy on my feet. I danced with George and Neville as well. Though my brother had really wanted to dance with Hermione again, but she was occupied by Ron, who had asked her to get out of speaking with his Aunt Muriel.
"Are you all packed?" I asked him in a quiet voice.
Neville nodded, "Ready to go at any time. Hermione has been carrying around a purse full of our things- extension charm on it." He grinned, "She thinks of everything."
I couldn't help but agree, "She does. I know between her and Sirius that you'll all be okay."
Suddenly a patronus was falling through the canopy over the dance floor, causing us to move away. It was a lynx- Kingsley's patronus. Everyone was quiet and frozen as his deep voice came through.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
It was chaos.
People were screaming and running around. And then the cloaked masked figures arrived. Fred found me, pulling me to his side as we both pulled our wands, shouting defensive spells. I could hear Hermione screaming for Neville and Ron. I turned to see her standing with Harry and Sirius, both of them shouting off spells near her.
Neville was fighting one of the death eaters and I heard him cry out in pain before he fell backwards. One of his legs was twisted as if broken. I shouted his name, trying to make my way towards him.
"I've got him!" I heard Ron yell. "Go, I'll follow behind!"
I barely noticed as Hermione, Harry, and Sirius disapparated.
My eyes were on my brother, grabbing his leg as I placed a Protego shield over him from where I stood. Ron had reached him now, leaning down to grab his arm.
"Sectusempra!" A familiar voice called out. I didn't even have time to be shocked at the fact Snape was here.
Ron jerked back from Neville, his eyes wide, and he looked down at himself.
Cuts appeared all over his body. His mouth filled with blood as he hit his knees.
"NO!"